As they passed by, I overheard someone mention, "Did you hear Hayden Tran bought a yacht for his wedding with Laila?"

I quickly hid behind a tree, trying to stay out of sight.

"Wow, I'm so jealous. But what about Nora Stewart? Wasn't she crazy about Hayden?"

"Seriously? Haven't you heard? Three years ago, he conned her into going overseas to volunteer with Doctors Without Borders. Who knows if she'll even make it back in one piece?"

"Hayden just wanted to be with Laila. He was worried Nora would cause drama, so he did what he had to."

"As soon as she left the country, he hooked up with Laila."

Their words sliced through the air, cruel and clear, reaching my ears.

So Hayden had orchestrated this from the start, planning it all three years ahead.

And there I was, naively trusting him at every turn. The conditions abroad were brutal, yet I bore it all, thinking if I persevered, I would come back to marry him.

As they moved on, congratulating Hayden, one person teased, "Hayden, Nora's been into you for so many years. Aren't you worried about leaving her out in those tough conditions as a doctor?"

Hayden didn't even flinch, his eyes focused on his son.

"She's the one who's into me, not the other way around," he replied, his tone dismissive.

"If it weren't for my dad adopting her and his fondness for her, I would have set the record straight ages ago."

"You all know she's seven years younger than me. There's no chance I'd ever be interested in her."

"It's always been her chasing after me."

Their mocking laughter surrounded me, and despite the sunny day, I felt a chill run through me.

I was adopted by the Tran family when I was sixteen, just starting high school. Back then, Hayden was already twenty-three, fresh out of university. He came from a wealthy background and was strikingly handsome, constantly surrounded by a swarm of admirers.

I would often feel a pang of jealousy and approach him, saying, "Hayden, can't you keep your distance from those girls?" He would chuckle softly and ruffle my hair, replying, "Whatever Nora wants, Nora gets."

In my teenage heart, I mistook that for love. I did everything I could to be near him, to understand his interests, and to become the kind of person he would cherish. At eighteen, I put on a glamorous Victorian-style dress and high heels for the first time. During a Thanksgiving party, when a rich young man struck up a conversation with me, Hayden dragged me into the restroom and kissed me passionately. His dark eyes were intense, as his tousled hair fell forward and he pressed his forehead against mine, declaring, "You belong to me."

Initially, he filled me with hope, showing affection in countless ways. Yet now, he accused me of being clingy. Heartbroken, I walked away, unable to hold back my tears as I reached the door. My hands trembled as I took out my phone and opened WhatsApp. The latest message was from Hayden: "Happy birthday, Nora."

At that moment, I was in the middle of saving a pregnant woman, covered in blood, having been awake for over twenty-four hours. But his message gave me a renewed sense of energy. I wiped away my tears and called him through voice chat.

"Nora, what's going on?"

Hayden's voice on the other end was as soothing as ever. It took him some time to answer, so he must have found a quiet spot to take the call.

I wanted to speak, but all I could picture was him with a child, standing beside another woman.

"Nora?"

He called me by my nickname again, which I used to love. But now, it made me feel nauseous.

"Hayden, I'm back." If you listened closely, you'd catch a slight shake in my voice. But Hayden didn't notice. He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why are you home?"

"Where are you? I'll come to you."

Seeing them in the garden broke my heart into pieces. Yet, he remained as kind as ever.

"I'm at the front door," I said gently.

Hayden had bought this house for me when I turned eighteen. At the time, he said, "No matter who you're with in the future, this house is yours."

"Being connected to Hayden Tran should give you confidence."

But now, he lives here with another woman, and they have a child.